Catfish by Luke Moffat

EDITORS NOTE:
This article was originally written for the Friendly Fisherman catalogue in 1999, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and methods and sizes of catfish have changed, however, Luke’s observations and methods still work, read carefully and enjoy this insightful piece.
Stef Knowles

With the growing interest in cat fishing we have an informative article by Luke Moffat on how, when and where to catch catfish, on a personal note I would like to thank Luke for sharing his knowledge and company with James Gardner and myself [Andy Lush] in April of this year and helping us catch many huge catfish (over 1,300lbs in 6 days) including personal bests of 96lb and 94lb respectively!

Catfish
Catfish are probably one of the easiest species to fish for, but at the same time, can be the hardest fish to catch. The U.K. and the European scenes can be compared, bait wise and rig wise, but the tackle and venues you will find to be very different. Whilst on that note, the achievement of catching what I would call a "wild" English thirty, can be regarded as just as much of an achievement as catching a 100 pound plus fish from one of the continents big rivers. Just because an angler catches a 150 pound Catfish from say, the river Saone or Ebro, it does not make him a better angler than the man who managed a 30 pounder from the Grand Union Canal, River Ouse or one of England’s original Catfish waters. Both anglers worked hard, and researched their fishing and got the results. Anyhow, I've put together some notes on what I prefer to use in both the U.K. and on the continent. Tackle, rigs, bait and a little on location.

First the U.K.
Most English catting is done from the bank, be it river or Stillwater, 95% of fishing is done sitting behind "buzzers".

Rods
I would choose an eleven or twelve footer, with a through action, which is soft enough to absorb close in lunges, but powerful enough to control your Catfish for the majority of the fight. Some Carp and Pike rods will suffice, but be careful as most Carp rods tend to be a bit too "tippy". Carbons are excellent and make lovely rods, as long as they are through actioned, but I would have no problem in using either a carbon composite or fibre glass rod. Test curves should be between 3lb and 4lb for most U.K. waters, unless special conditions such as, snags or weed require even stronger rods.

Reels
You cannot beat the "Baitrunner" type reel; you then have the option of fishing either open bail or use the baitrunner facility.

Bite Indication
I would say it's down to common sense and preference. If you're fishing a "lively" on a ledger rig, the baitrunner can be used to obtain the required tension. A "deadly" fished in the margins on the other hand would surely warrant an open pick up with indicators used to counter act weather, flow and drop backs if they're a possibility.

Terminal Tackle
Line should be a good quality mono, with high abrasion resistance, from 15lb to 20lb, heavier if snags dictate.

Hooks, the best I've found so far are Marauto 'Eagle Wave', Gamakatsu 5314N and Owner SSW, but it's down to personal preference and confidence really. The main thing is to size your hook to the bait you intend using, make sure it's razor sharp, and of course VERY strong!

Hook lengths
I would recommend a good braid for deadbaits, 45lb Quicksilver or something similar. Heavy nylon can be used for livebaits 30lb Stren Catfish Mono, on the continent I use 60lb Stren but have used sea fishing shock leader line. Some of the new fused braids i.e. Fireline are very interesting and I will be trying this summer. The main point of the hook length when using livebait is its stiffness, it must remain tangle free especially when using active baits like Tench, which have the ability to tangle limp braids. Catfish will not be put off by a stiffer, larger hook length. With a livebait they will not stop to inspect it, they will attack the same way as a Pike, to guarantee their meal does not escape!

Rigs and Baits
Unless your chosen water does not allow them or there is definite evidence of a better bait, I'd use livebaits as my first choice every time. Fished either popped up on a free running ledger rig, or on a sunk float paternoster fished at midwater and for surface presentation, again the free running ledger rig with the line fed out after casting until the bait reaches the surface. When dead baiting if I can I'd go for fee lined baits, in the margins especially. At distance a free running ledger rig, use run rings to minimize resistance. Bolt rigs do take their far share of Catfish, and the bolt can be employed either at the rig end or back at the rod. Pre-baiting and ground baiting for Cats is effective, but there are not many waters that you can have to yourself, to make this worthwhile.

Location
This is probably the most important of all, an active Cat will patrol margins, drop offs, weed beds and bars. One of the most obvious features in any lake or river is the margins, where a change of depth offers shelter to small fish and gathers any dead fish deposited by wind or current. It's always worth at least one bait fished in the margins. In the summer it's also worth fishing a bait on the surface especially at night, positioned above a bar, or drop off, or again in the margins, at this time of year Cats are definitely hunting for live fish!

On the Continent
The same basic rules apply, at least on the location side anyway. I wouldn't even bother with deadbaits on the rivers, and I would only fish them in lakes if I really had to. As far as terminal tackle goes, the lines should be up-graded to a minimum of 30lb. Hooks can be as large as 12/0, it again depends on bait size. The perfect bait for me would be from 4 to 6 inches, both in Europe and at home. Hook length as mentioned before 60lb Hard Mono or 80lb Fluorocarbon. Obviously, all swivels are up-graded, don't be afraid of going too strong with terminal gear, you'll be glad you did.

Reels
These would be without doubt Shimano's 6500B Baitrunners for me, maybe swapped for TLD "lever drag" multipliers for boat fishing.

Rods
Now this is a bit more involved, for bank fishing, off buzzers, a ten or eleven foot 5lb test curve rod to start with, through actioned of course. I would recommend fibre glass rods because of their more forgiving action and reliability. Boat fishing is easier with shorter rods, sea fishing 30lb class boat rods are quite suitable with a nice through action, and paired up with a "lever drag" multiplier. Some people prefer braided line with this set up. The third type of rod is only used for one style of fishing, the "Buoy system". This system involves the rods being positioned upright beach caster style. They are fished with the tips under tension, this effectively is a "Bolt Rig" for Cats, and the rod also sets the hook initially. The perfect off the shelf rod for this style of fishing is a 9' 6" Up-tide rod; they tend to have a softish tip which allows you to tension up against the buoy and a progressive action further down the butt when playing the fish. You just have to be careful with the fish when in close, and make sure you set the clutch properly.

Location
Locating Cats in Europe's rivers and lakes tends to be more time consuming, because they tend to be much larger venue's than most English anglers are used to. Fishing the far bank has its problems for example, as that could be over 300 metres away! A boat and echo sounder become very useful tools indeed, especially when searching for features.

Where ever you choose to Catfish this year, be it in the U.K. or abroad I wish you every success and hope you catch the fish you are after!

Luke Moffat